When Thomas Kase first heard about Vortal, and even after reading up on them from readily available resources, he didn’t quite believe the story. A successful high-tech procurement software firm born and raised in Portugal – of all places? With an integrated supplier marketplace and source-to-pay solution than can replace Ariba’s? And they are globally active? Since the initial reaction of stark incredulity, Thomas has learned more about their offering and admits that his North American bias was working against him and Vortal. Here is what Thomas learned about this firm after an overview briefing and a follow-up face-to-face-meeting. This is the first in a two-part post.